The Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy has retracted a 2014 paper by a group of South Korean researchers after determining that the authors had doubled up on their publishing odds by submitting the manuscript to a competing journal.

The article was titled “A comparative study of low-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with or without chemical peeling using Jessner’s solution in melasma patients,” and it purported to find that:

This study suggests Jessner’s peel is a safe and effective method in the early course of treatment for melasma when combined with low-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.

According to the retraction notice, which is behind a paywall (you know how we feel about THAT …):

The Editor and Publisher regrets to announce the following article published in 2014 has been retracted from publication in Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy

After the publication of this article, it was brought to the attention of the Editor of the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy that this article was simultaneously submitted to the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy and the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. It was determined by the Editors that this article was submitted simultaneously by the author to both journals without notification to the Editorial Office. The manuscript completed peer review and was accepted first in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment.

The authors have been fully co-operative with our investigations and agree with the Editor and Publisher on this course of action to correct the redundancy in the literature record.

The journal’s policy in this respect is clear: Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy considers all manuscripts on the strict condition that they have been submitted only to Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy that they have not been published already, nor are they under consideration for publication or in press elsewhere.

Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy published this article in good faith, and on the basis of signed statements made by the corresponding author regarding the originality of their work.